The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-10
THE NATURAL-GAs SITUATION,

| facturer, the merchant, the householder and
| the housewife-the man who wants to sell a
lot, the man who wants to buy one, the man
who wants to build house or to buy or sell
one; in short everybody, and it is not to be
wondered at, therefore, that very much has
been said on the subject. Everybody has an
| opinion, and the most of them want to express
| it. The Journal has had much to say, of its
own motion, and because it is a newspaper
has contained much that the people have had
| to say. Many interviews and cards have
been printed, and some of them have not
been in the best temper, but that could not
be expected when so many talk all at once
and representing every side of the question.
| The opinion of the Journal is its own, and
for that it is responsible, but it does not in
dorse or approve what others may say in it's
columns simply because it prints their state
ments, and has printed and said so much be-
| cause it wants to give all sides of the case
| fair hearing. The Journal does not believe
that any company, foreign home, will bring
gas into the city under the present ordinance
and it does not believe that any company now
| organized that may be organized, will
| cept the terms of the ordinance. The ordi-
is nearly two months old and no com
pany has accepted it, nor, so far as the Jour
nal knows, intimated any such intention
Several companies have been organized
simply as prospecting companies and few of
them have done anything else than prospect,
| and never will. The Standard Oil Company
has several good wells, and the indianapolis
Natural-gas Company has several; the Cap
ital City Company has one or two; others,
we believe, have any. The two first above
named companies each boring other wells,
but they do not appear to be hurrying them
up very fast. Many citizens object to the
first company, because they say it is
opoly, and that it is or will be extortionate in
its demands. Others say that the second
company is largely composed of gentlemen
having interests adverse to the introduction
of natural gas, because it would bring in COM
petition to their existing businesses and enter
prises. The Journal does not believe in the
truth Of these charges against either company;
and it does believe in the perfect good faith
of the Indianapolis company, because of its
confidence in the gentlemen composing and
managing it, and because they say they
in earnest. But whether any all of these
charges and counter-charges be true false,
we get no gas, and, as far as the public can
see no visible, energetic, driving purpose to
get it. AS delays follow delays the charges
will increase and general disgust and distrust
ensue.
The City Council can bring the matter
to head and bring in natural gas by passing
an open ordinance, free to all, without resrric-
tons further than those for the protection of
the streets and providing for the best charac-
ter of work, under proper penalties, and with
out any present restrictions as TO price. Then
these companies, or other ompanies, will go
to work in earnest and we will have gas be-
fore Christmas. That natural gas exists in
abundance in the neighborhood of Noblesville
is just as certain as that coal exists in Clay
county. The man desiring to make con-
tract for Hamilton county gas is prevented
from getting it because of the restrictive
feature of the present gas ordinance. He can
contract for all the Clay county coal he wants,
and at satisfactory prices because of COM
petition. The city does not fix the price of
coal. Why should it of gasP Coal will COM
pete with gas, and no will buy gas unless
he wants it on the terms the company asks,
and if they are not satisfactory he will use
coal or coke If two, or more, gas companies
come in under such an ordinance, there will
be competition in kind. A very proper pro-
vision might be made in the ordinance, and
be required to be accepted by any company
before it should be permitted to enter the city,
that after, say two or three years,
if the prices charged for gas were not salts
factory, then, upon the petition of a given
number of consumers, or those desiring to
become consumers, the City Council and
the company companies should appoint a
given number of arbitrators who should fix
the price, which should not be exceeded
thereafter. This grant of time at which the
price of gas should be matter of agreement
would enable the gas companies to get start,
and the period of extortion, if such existed,
WOutu no very SnOll, anu VI AA0u OuTdIlOn,
but with such an ordinance there would be
no extortion. The people ought to pay a fair
price, and the compan ought to be allowed to
charge fair and reasonable one, and such a
price would insure good dividends on the cap
ital invested The Journal has no favorites
in this matter, but in common with every
body else wants gas and it believes that some
bring it, and that whether home or foreign
capital brings it it will be profitable to the
people and to capital. Something, however
should be done, and done at once; the people
are becoming restless, and the people have